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The Gifted Children’s Asso-ciation of British Columbiabelieves Early ChildhoodEducators are uniquely posi-tioned and equipped to rec-ognize and support many ofthe gifted children of B.C.before they are admitted tomore formal learning pro-grams. In an effort to en-list the assistance ofknowledgeable, experi-enced Early ChildhoodProfessionals the GCABChas produced this newslet-ter.Numerous young gifted chil-dren experience difficultywhen entering formalschooling . Observation of

their early behaviour is ex-tremely helpful for properidentification and creation

of ap-

propriate learning programsfor these out of step, asyn-chronous learners.The strong observationalskills an ECE teacher bringsto their work with youngchildren can help parentsand children to learn towork with, rather than hide,resent or fear their differ-ences.

The unique learning stylesthat help define these chil-dren as gifted can lead tomany complex behaviours ifearly needs are not recog-nized and met. Behaviourchanges that have beendocumented include: becom-ing argumentative, apa-thetic, socially withdrawn,out of control or clinicallydepressed, among a widerange of other behaviours.Yet these are the childrenwho beg to attend EarlyChildhood programs becauseof their extreme desire tolearn. We hope this news-letter will offer educatorsinformation to recognizeand support these children

Gifted children are oftendefined based on what theyproduce, a definition oflimited use in early child-hood education. They arealso often defined by a listof traits many, but not allgifted children have in com-mon. Parents of these chil-dren agree the most usefuldefinition of gifted chil-dren comes from the workof the Columbus group, agroup of psychologists, edu-

cators and parents whocame up with the followingdescription of giftedness in1991.

Giftedness is Asynchr o-nous Development in whichadvanced cognitive abil i-ties and heightened inte n-sity combine to create i n-ner experiences andawareness that are qual i-tatively different fromthe norm. This asy n-chrony increases with

higher intellectual capa c-ity. The uniqueness ofthe gifted renders themparticularly vulnerable andrequires modifications inparenting, teaching andcounselling in order forthem to develop optimally .This means these childrendevelop in an uneven man-ner, significantly out of de-velopmental step with theirage peers.

Fall 1999

Volume 1,Issue 1 Young

Young Gifted Children

Inside this issue:

Pushy parents? 2

Some Behaviours 3

Strengths/ problems 3

Research on highlygifted,

4

Early Readers 5

Resources 5

Contacts around B.C 6

Special points of in-terest:J

Checklist of behaviourswhich help identify giftedkids

J Research data on highlygifted children

J Areas where you can help

J Resources

A GCABC specialnewsletter

Help needed to identify young gifted children

Who are our gifted children?



Page 2 Young Gifted Children

Overexcitable

Pushy parents?

Do parents push these chil-dren and train them? Force

their development? Usually it is thechild who pulls rather than the par-ent who pushes. All parents thinktheir child is gifted! is unsupportedmyth. Parents who notice theirchild’s development differs fromage peers have observed these dif-

ferences since birth. If they arefamiliar with the concept, they areusually accurate in identifying theirchild as gifted (85%) .

Parents of gifted children often havesome of the following worries. Some-times I’m frightened for my child. Ifeel overwhelmed by the responsibil-ity . There are times when I feel iso-lated. I can’t keep up!Parenting a gifted child is more in-

tense and isolating. The child’s asyn-chrony may cause them to exhibit awide range of age behaviours at thesame time, making them demanding toparent. At four, they may be fourplaying soccer, eight when reading,twelve building Lego® , twenty when

worrying about world peace, and twoputting toys away. This wide asyn-chrony is difficult for parents,schools, and the child to handle. Itis hard to fit in when so much of

your environment depends on chrono-logical age, a measure which may bethe least relevant part of a giftedchild’s development. Sharing your

professional knowledge of theirchild’s relative strengths can helpparents enormously.

Gifted children are on a develop-mentally different schedule from

infancy onward. This places themout of sync with expected develop-ment stages internally and exter-nally. Programs which anticipate lim-

ited powers of concentration andbreak complicated subjects into sim-ple pieces for children to understandmay stress gifted children. Se-quences may be too simple for mindswhich thrive on complexity and chal-lenge. Able to process huge quanti-ties of information rapidly, giftedchildren may find nothing to interestor engage them in regular programs

and may act out.Stephanie Tolan, author and giftedadvocate, has a wonderful analogyfor this process. She likens it tofeeding an elephant grass, one bladeat a time. Not only will he die ofmalnutrition before you can get suf-ficient food into him, he is unlikelyto realize you are trying to feed himat all. That single blade of grass issimply too small to notice.Computers offer another analogy forthese children’s differences. Like amultiple window computer, manygifted children work on several un-related problems at the same time.An unconscious process bubbling

quietly in the background may suddenlyend with ahaa!Having no idea where the answer ap-peared from, the child may only becertain that it is correct. U nable toexplain why, they just know it. (Andwill often defend it vigorously.)

Adults unable to understand this proc-ess or achieve it themselves, often dis-credit or discount these abilities in

young children and may insist theywork in ways alien to them to solveproblems. You must show your work!Not comfortable working in this fash-ion, accused of cheating by peers un-able to understand this process, thegifted child may shut down in an at-tempt to become normal.

Recognition and acceptance of thechild’s internal differences is essen-tial. These differences likely in-clude emotional intensity, unusualawareness and tolerance of complex-ity and paradox, and potential forextraordinary development. Polishpsychologist Kazimierz Dabrowskisug-gested the stimuli response of theseindividuals is stronger than normal infive areas. He called these overex-citabilities, (oe’s,) as they involvepsychological and central nervoussystem sensitivity. OE’s describe

the unusual intensity of the gifted, aswell as the many ways in which theylook and behave oddly when comparedto norms. These are brief examples ofthe five :Psychomotor oe need for physical

expression, movement, energy, dance. Sensual oe highly sensory, touch,texture, color, taste, light, sound.Can’t tolerate clothes labels, twistedsocks, moved to tears by Mozart.Imaginational oe dreamers, spacecadets, visual thinkers, metaphors.Intellectual oe stimulated by intel-lectual challenge, problems.

Emotional oe broad range of emo-tional intensity, happier, sadder,more depressed, extreme empathy,compassion.Gifted people have different intensi-ties and combinations of oe’s butDabrowski believed emotional oe tobe central to them all. In childrenthese oes are often mistaken for lackof control and immaturity.

Different from birth



stract terms (time, space)Is interested in cause and effectrelationships

Has a long attention span for ac-tivities of own choosing

May enjoy difficult puzzlesSees endless possibilities forvarious situations or uses for ob-

jectsSays what he/she thinks withoutregard for consequencesGreat imagination, frequentdaydreamerHighly developed powers of con-centration, may need to be physi-cally touched to become aware ofsurroundingsMay have advanced sense of jus-tice and fairness (and may not beable to understand responses ofage peers.)May be strongly motivated to dothings that interest him/her, maybe unwilling to work on other ac-tivities

May be reluctant to move fromone subject area to another, be-comes so engrossed in conceptthat wishes to explore it fullyTransfers concepts and learningto new situations

May prefer the company of olderchildren or adultsMay prefer to work alone, re-sists co-operative learningMay have wide gaps in abilities

or knowledge.May struggle with easy materialsbut thrive on complexityMay have difficulty with hand-writing or pencil use. (complainsof it being too slow)May have advanced hand/eye coordinationMay be emotionally sensitive(high levels of self criticism, may

have low self concept and poorpeer relations. May ask manyquestions about pain, death, an-ger, love)May like to count, may play withnumber concepts ( work in basesother than 10 for example)May choose factual books anddislike fiction and fairy storiesMay collect things

May have more imaginary friendsthan regular children and beable to describe them in detail.

Volume 1,Issue 1 Young Gifted Children Page 3

Gifted children often have abilitieswhich may not be recognized. Theymay also have highly creative abili-ties which are not expected and hardto see, or have disabilities whichmask their high abilities.

The following are often observedcompared to age based norms:

Has a good memory

Has a subtle or mature sense ofhumour (may understand wordpuns before other children) maynot appreciate silly or bathroomhumour of other children thesame ageIs exceptionally curiousMay see solutions that rarely oc-cur to othersHas a high energy level

Has a wider knowledge baseUses advanced vocabularyUses advanced grammar or sen-tence structureMay be very interested in ab-

Some behaviours of young gifted children

Parents and caregivers areextremely accurate in their

assessment of children as “gifted”

Strength Possible ProblemVerbal skills Talks too much, talks above the heads of his or her age peersLong attention span Tunnel Vision; resists interruption, stubborness, resists dutiesAcquires/retains information easily Inaccuracy, sloppiness, impatient with others, dislikes basic routineCreativity, inventiveness Escape into fantasy, rejection of norms, may be seen as disruptiveIndependent, prefers individualized work Inability to accept help from peers, nonconformity, reliant on selfCritical thinking Critical of others, perfectionism, unreasonable standards for selfPreference for Complexity Resistance to simple solutions; constructs complicated rules, bossyVersatility Appears disorganized, scattered, frustrated over lack of timeSensitive, empathy for others Extreme sensitivity to criticism or peer rejection

Strengths or admired traits vs Possible Problems



Page 4 Young Gifted Children

A Study of 241 Profoundly Gifted Children * Dr. Karen Rogers Associate Profes-sor of Gifted Studies University ofSt. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota

Dr. Karen Rogers, a researcher of inter-national renown, analyzed data at theGifted Development Center in 1994-1995during a postdoctoral fellowship. Theanalysis consisted of data on 241 chil-dren between 2½ and 12½ years of age,with IQs ranging from 160 to 237+ onthe Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale(Form L-M). Here are some of the find-ings from that study:Reasons for AssessmentThe main reason parents requested test-ing (82%) was to obtain help with educa-tional placement decisions.Gender DifferencesThere was no difference in the mean IQfor boys and girls.Birthing IssuesMothers tended to be older than thenorm. The mean age at the time of thechild’s birth was 30.8.44% of the mothers report problemswith delivery.Sleep Patterns50% of the parents report that theirchild needed less sleep than others.60% are "day people" (more boys thangirls), 17.5% are night people (more girlsthan boys) and 22.5% of the parentswrote in "both" in answer to the ques-tion!Development in Infancy and Toddler-hood94% were very alert as infants.94% had a long attention span as an in-fant or toddler.91% showed early language development.60% showed early motor skill develop-ment.48.9% were ambidextrous at some periodof their development.37% had imaginary playmates.Language DevelopmentThe mean age at which these childrenspoke their first word was 9 months.The mean age at which the children sightread an easy reader was before 4.Medical Issues85% of the children had had ear infec-tions.52% have high pain tolerance.

44% have allergies and9.6% have asthma.The most significantallergy mentioned wasto milk (35% of theallergic children).The next highest al-lergy mentioned wastrees (8.2%).Most Prevalent Char-acteristics of Gifted-ness99.4% learn rapidly99.4% have extensive vocabulary99.3% have excellent memory99.3% reason well97.9% are curious96.1% are mature for their age at times95.9% have an excellent sense of humor93.8% have a keen sense of observation93.5% have compassion for others93.4% have a vivid imagination93.4% have a long attention span92.9% have ability with numbers90.3% are concerned with justice andfairness89.4% have facility with puzzles andLegos®88.4% have a high energy level88.3% are perfectionistic85.9% are perseverant in their areas ofinterest84.1% question authority80.3% are avid readersDescriptions90% were described by their parents as"sensitive."83% like to concentrate on one activityat a time.79% report high energy or activity lev-els.44% are sensitive to clothing tags andother tactile sensations.

Self-ConceptIn tests of self-concept,these children are signifi-cantly more confident intheir academic abilities thanin their social acceptance

Educational NeedsThe greatest educationalneed expressed was for amore challenging curriculum.

How significant are these data? Wewon't know until we've been able to en-ter random samples from the moderate,mildly and nongifted children's files.(Research Efforts)

Personal, Social, Medical and Psychologi-cal Factors in 160+ IQ Children

Presented by Karen Rogers and Linda Sil-verman at the National Association forGifted Children 44th Annual Conventionin Little Rock, Arkansas, November 7,1997.Gifted Development Center1452 Marion Street, Denver, Colorado80218Voice: 303/837/8378Fax: 303/831/7465

email [email protected] ©1997, Linda Kreger Silver-

man, Ph.D.,

Gifted Development Center, a serviceof the Institute for the Study of Ad-vanced DevelopmentAll rights reserved.

Used by permission

In tests of self-concept,these children are significantlymore confident in theiracademic abilities than in theirsocial acceptance



must be taught to read, even parentscan be surprised by the readingprowess of their child.If you observe a child who rapidlyflips through magazines or books,

has trouble “hearing” instructionswhen they are looking at a book, orseems to have skills of early reading,ask them about their abilities. Arethey able to read? Can they readaloud as well as silently? Whattypes of materials do they like toread? Do they need quiet time to en-

joy their books?Help them to find suitable readingmaterials for their ability and ensure

that their reading time is sharedwith or not interrupted by non read-ing children. Finding appropriatesubject matter for their readingability age and interests may be aproblem.Ladybird first chapter books are

often enjoyed as are Roald Dahl’sbooks, (Fantastic Mr Fox, The Twits,James and the Giant Peach , BFG

Bringing Out the Best a resource guide for parents of young gifted children Jacqulyn Saunders with PamelaEspeland , Free Spirit Publishing, 1986, 1991 This comprehensive guide focuses on characteristics, concerns(including schooling), and activities.Drawing with Children, a course in enhaancing creative capacity for Children and Adults Mona Brookes 1986, JeremyTarcher, Inc. Great ideas for getting anyone to draw and express their creativityThe Kingore Observation Inventory Bertie Kingore, Leadership publishers Inc. Des Moines, 1990, a simple method ofusing teacher observation to identify gifted students from early childhood to grade 3Teaching Young Gifted Children in the Regular Classroom, Joan Smutny, Sally Yahnke Walker, Elizabeth Meck-stroth, Free Spirit Publishing 1997 Techniques that work in the regular classroom with kindergarten and primarychildren. Lots of reproducible sheets and easy to use activities.Parents Guide to Raising a Gifted Toddler, James Alvino, Ballentine Books. Compilation of articles from Gifted ChildMonthly, focussing on the young gifted child.Raising Your Spirited Child : A Guide for Parents Whose Child Is More Intense, Sensitive, Perceptive, Persistent, andEnergetic by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka Sept 1992, Harperperennial libraryTeaching Montessori in the Home, The Pre-School Years , Elizabeth Hainstock, Plume Books, Updated edition(September 1997) Simple materials and techniques which allow a child to explore many Montessori practises.

Volume 1,Issue 1 Young Gifted Children

Resources:

Inside Story Headline

Page 5

Early readers, deep readers

Web pages:Gifted Children’s Association of B.C. Information on the B.C. organization www.gcabc.caGifted Canada , Canadian information on resources for gifted children http://www3.telus.net/giftedcanadaHoagies gifted page, major source of info on all aspects of gifted children http://www.hoagiesgifted.orgEric clearing house on Disabilites and Gifted Education run by the Council for Exceptional Childrenhttp://www.cec.sped.org/ericec.htm

Gifted Development Center http://www.gifteddevelopment.com

Many of these children already have a keen interest in numbers and patterns. Introduce them to chess, backgammon,the Chinese abacus, Montessori math materials or Don Cohen’s book Calculus by and for young people.

Numbers

Many young gifted children teachthemselves to read at a very earlyage. By the time they enter earlychildhood ed programs they may al-ready be sounding out letters, read-ing signs, or reading accurately bothaloud and silently. Some of thesechildren are such good readers thattheir silent reading speeds may causeit to seem as if they are skimmingthrough picture books. They mayalso be concentrating so deeply ontheir reading that they are unawareof people speaking to them, or teach-ers attempting to engage their atten-tion. As many adults assume children



These pages werecompiled by Lesley

Ansell-Shepherd for theGCABC©1999

GCABC, Third Floor210 West BroadwayVancouver B.C. V5Y 3W2

Shuswap Karen Bissenden 250-833-4886

South Island Bridget Cassidy 250-656-8802

Surrey Ann Ho 604 736-2705

Vancouver Marta McIntosh 604-736-2705Vernon Noelle Typusiak 250-545-0825

GCA members meet together throughout the province atinformal meetings open to any member of the GCABC, re-gardless of their home location. Contacts for groupswith regular meetings are in bold

Armstrong Sari Cox 250-546-6658

Coquitlam Sheila Armstrong 604-939-4820

Delta Karen Phee-Hale 604–952-4195

Langley Jean Lau 604-857-0810North Shore Alisa Paul 604-904-0970

Phone toll free 1-877-707-6111

Fax:Email: [email protected]

Local contacts

W e ’re o n t h e w e b !

w w w .g c a b c .c a

A registered non profit organization dedicatedto increasing awareness and understanding ofwhat it means to be gifted.

Mailing Address Line 1Mailing Address Line 2Mailing Address Line 3Mailing Address Line 4Mailing Address Line 5

references: Overexcitable Kazimierz Dabrowski Psychoneurosis is not an illness London: Gryf. Also Social EducationalChild Psychiatry ( Spoleczno– wychowawcza psychiatria dziecieca) Warszawa PZWS Poland 1959, 2nd ed. 1964 Information con-cerning Dabrowski and his publications is available from Bill Tillier’s Website at www.imag.net/dabrowski

Who are our gifted c hildren? Dr Linda Silverman, address to the World Council of Gifted Children , Hong Kong 1991The Gifted Development Center, 1452 Marion Street, Denver, Colorado 80218 Voice: 303/837/8378

A GCABC specialnewsletter

Join the GCABC to help support GiftedChildren. Annual memberships areavailable for $35 , Most localmembers groups have regular monthlymeetings and members have libraryprivileges and reduced rates at annualconferences.

Phone toll free 1-877-707-6111

Fax:Email: [email protected]

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Erly Child